All Enemies, Foreign and Domestic

There was a comment posted on a Politico article regarding Ron Paul suggesting impeachment of President Obama following the assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki. I’d like to address a few things.

The comment:

I guess Mr Paul who claims to know the Constitution forgot the oath he took to protect and defend against enemies foreign or domestic. Anwar al-Awlaki was an enemy of the United States unless Paul can prove otherwise.

The oath:

Do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that you take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter: So help you God?

Obviously the commenter fails to understand that the oath was to defend “The Constitution” from enemies, both foreign and domestic… and not to defend the United States from enemies, both foreign and domestic.

If you can find somewhere (anywhere?) in the Constitution that says that elected officials have a duty to protect the United States, regardless of what’s right or wrong, please… by all means correct me because I can’t find it.

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2 thoughts on “All Enemies, Foreign and Domestic”

My critique on the comment: Why should Mr. Paul have to prove the guy wasn’t an enemy? Ron Paul’s gripe is a lack of due process in proving he was an enemy (within our judicial branch). The commentator’s defense is a shifting of the burden of proof. Our Constitution states the opposite: Not guilty until proven otherwise. Without judging the subject matter or conclusion, I find the Politico commentator’s argument itself, and its assumptions, both ignorant and immoral.

There is nowhere in the job requirements of the POTUS that requires him to prove an enemy of the state is done from within our judicial system. One often confuses the judicial system with war powers act. Our judicial system has nothing whatsoever to do with war criminals, or the operations that carry out war, national defense and border defense operations.